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Freed Kamiyas demand rehabilitation before CA poll

Representatives of freed Kamaiyas (bonded laborers) met with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s official residence in Baluwatar and inform him about their demands.

During the meeting PM Koirala took the demands of former Kamaiyas in positive light and assured them that the government would do whatever that is necessary to rehabilitate former Kamiyas, the members of the delegation said.

Emerging from the meeting, chairman of Freed Kamaiya Movement Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary flayed the government policy of distributing land ownership certificates to only 500 freed Kaimiyas every year and said that with such a sluggish process would take another 36 years to rehabilitate all the freed Kamiyas. There are around 17,000 freed Kamaiyas in mid and far-western region.

“Our demand is that all Kamaiyas should be properly rehabilitated before the constituent assembly poll,” Chaudhary said.

He also said that there would be consultation between the officials of the Ministry of Land Reforms and the representatives of freed Kamaiyas tomorrow regarding their demands.

Liberated from their age-old bondage seven years ago, some 150 former Kamaiyas have been holding demonstrations in the capital city regularly since Wednesday. They said that they were yet to be rehabilitated as committed by the government few months back during a discussion.

Freed Kamaiyas have also been organising protests in the districts in protest of the use of force to suppress their movement in the capital. nepalnews.com ag July 22 07